The outbreak of novel coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the world, especially in the global education .According to the UNESCO, over 154 crore students are severely impacted by closure of educational institutions across the world due to the deadly virus.
All educational institutes have been shut down in India, and in almost all the covid-19 hit countries. The academic year has been interrupted and studies have come to a halt due to this global pandemic.
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education said that shutting down of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic comes with a warning of “potential for increased drop-out rates which will disproportionately affect adolescent girls, further entrench gender gaps in education and lead to increased risk of sexual exploitation, early pregnancy and early and forced marriage”.
“Out of the total population of students enrolled in education globally, we estimate that over 89 per cent are currently out of school because of COVID-19. This represents 154 crore students enrolled in school or university, including nearly 74 crore girls. Over 11 crore of these girls are living in the world’s least developed countries where getting an education is already a struggle.â€
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for policy-makers and practitioners to look into lessons from the past crisis to address the challenges faced by girls as the governments of various counties prepare for “indefinite” school closures.
UNESCO has launched a global education coalition to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and youth who are most at risk.
More than 25 lakh people have been confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus worldwide, with 80 per cent of cases in Europe and the United States.